The present invention relates generally to a method of making a meat product, and more particularly to a method of making liverwurst, liver paste and the like.
Liverwurst is conventionally made by comminuting pork trimmings, especially pieces of pork belly, and admixing them with liver and spices. The fat pieces of pork belly are conventionally scalded and cooked in open kettles at a temperature of between 80.degree. and 95.degree.C and for a period of approximately 20-30 minutes. After the cooking process, the meat is removed from the broth and is placed into containers with bottom perforations so that excess liquid can run off. Thereupon the meat is subjected to an initial comminution which, assuming that the quantity of meat involved amounts to 400 kg, requires approximately 8-10 minutes. The comminuted material now has salt, spices and liver pieces added to it, whereupon it is subjected to an additional comminution, a mixing action and an emulsifying action. The liver is admitted in a raw condition but must be subjected to preliminary comminution before it can be added to the comminuted meat, and must have binder material, such as starch or the like, added to it. When the secondary comminution after admission of the cold liver is completed, the resulting mixture has a temperature of approximately 30.degree.-45.degree.C. The secondary comminution requires approximately 4-8 minutes, if it is again assumed that the finished mixture has a weight of 400 kg.
Depending upon the degree of coarseness of fineness desired for the finished mixture, the latter may be subjected to additional comminution which will require approximately another 4 minutes for 400 kg of mixture.
Disregarding the time required for the runoff of excess water from the cooked pieces of pork belly, the production of 400 kg of mixture for liverwurst, liver paste or the like, requires approximately 32-48 minutes, which time will be increased to about 36-52 minutes if the mixture is to be subjected to subsequent fine comminution.
It is evident that the manufacturing time is quite substantial which, of course, has a disadvantageous effect on the economics involved in producing and selling these meat products. There is an additional disadvantage involved in the prior art, namely the fact that certain proteins, such as albumin, as well as fat and some of the aromatic substances, contained in the pork belly meat are cooked out of the meat during the scalding in the kettles and, therefore, are lost for the finished product. Particularly the loss of albumin is disadvantageous, because albumin is required to obtain binding of the finished product, that is to enable the finished product to become coherent. The loss of albumin therefore frequently makes it necessary that additional albumin be separately added after the cooking operation. Also, a certain amount of the water in which the pork bellies are cooked is absorbed by the meat and therefore raises the moisture content of the finished product.
Still another disadvantage is the fact that the liver which is to be added to the pork bellies must previously be separately comminuted, as pointed out earlier, which involves additional time and a separate operating step.
For the sake of completeness, it is pointed out that a cooked pig skin emulsion can also be produced by the steps outlined above, except that the time required for boiling the pig skins in kettles will be approximately 30-45 minutes, depending upon the characteristics of the pig skins and the degree of softness that is required of them. Of course, no liver will be added to such a pig skin emulsion.